Search - 2003

 
 
JAPAN
Apr 23, 2003

Events slated to promote studying English abroad

Two events of interest to anyone studying English -- Language Fair (Ryugaku Expo) 2003 and Study USA 2003 -- will take place next month at four locations around Japan, according to organizers.
JAPAN
Apr 16, 2003

Oshima's inquiry 'coaches' given verbal warning

The speaker of the House of Representatives on Tuesday verbally warned two of the chamber's Legislative Bureau officials over their alleged coaching of former farm minister Tadamori Oshima before a Diet inquiry.
MORE SPORTS
Apr 13, 2003

SARS can't stop world of rugby's grand wake for fallen mates

Thursday, March 28, 2003, and noted Australian commentator Chris "Buddha" Hardy asks for quiet from the players and spectators gathered at the Hong Kong Football Club for its annual tens tournament.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 8, 2003

Astro 'birthday' Boy is staging a comeback

Astro Boy, the futuristic robot who was the focus of a television cartoon boom in the 1960s and who just had his "birthday," is making a comeback on film and television screens and in new and reproduced comic books.
EDITORIALS
Apr 4, 2003

Diet turbulence likely in second half

As the Diet moves into the second half of its 150-day regular session, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's administration appears headed for more difficult times, politically and economically. The first half ended without a major hitch. The fiscal 2003 government budget -- the most important legislative...
BUSINESS
Apr 2, 2003

Fraying business sentiment augurs poorly for recovery

Dented by falling stock prices and fears that the war in Iraq will hurt any nascent economic recovery, business sentiment remained weak in March, according to a key Bank of Japan survey released Tuesday.
BUSINESS
Mar 31, 2003

Stocks to move within narrow band this week

Stocks are expected to trade narrowly this week, largely influenced by the war situation as they were last week.
BUSINESS
Mar 26, 2003

Starting April 1, all MMC pay will be merit-based

Mitsubishi Motors Corp. will entirely abandon seniority-based pay on April 1 in an effort to improve productivity.
BUSINESS
Mar 21, 2003

Economy is at mercy of conflict in Iraq

Financial markets in Japan, well prepared for the U.S.-led attack on Iraq, bounced back quickly Thursday after the onset of war. But some experts warned that the nation's fragile economy may be headed for tragedy.
BUSINESS
Mar 21, 2003

Carmakers predict slim sales growth

Some 5.85 million new vehicles are expected to be sold in Japan in the 2003 business year, up 0.4 percent from the forecast for 2002, the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association said Thursday.
CULTURE / Art / NEW ART SEEN
Mar 12, 2003

Art or 'action'? Who cares

I would describe the 64-year-old Swiss man behind the current show at Ginza's Shiseido Gallery as part conceptual artist, part performance artist, and part video artist -- but Roman Signer would have none of these labels. He considers himself a sculptor -- pure, if not so simple.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / ON THE BOOK TRAIL
Mar 6, 2003

"Dealing with Dragons," "The Last Castaways"

"Dealing with Dragons," Patricia C. Wrede, Magic Carpet; 2002; 228 pp.
COMMUNITY
Mar 4, 2003

Japan gets keen on green for Paddy's Day party

The great, the good and the goths of trendy Harajuku are in for a shock on March 16, when the chic shopping district will be taken over by Tokyo's annual St. Patrick's Day Parade.
EDITORIALS
Feb 25, 2003

Less than reassuring words

Finance ministers and central bankers from the Group of Seven industrialized countries held one of their regular meetings last weekend in Paris. Two days of discussions produced a statement promising efforts to stabilize and stimulate their economies and a pledge to convene again in the event of an emergency....
JAPAN
Feb 13, 2003

Opposition bill would freeze ruling coalition's plan to hike salaried-worker medical fees

Hoping to drive a wedge into the ruling coalition, four opposition parties submitted a bill Wednesday to freeze a planned 50 percent increase in the fees salaried workers pay for outpatient medical care.
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET EARTH
Feb 13, 2003

Have we got the will to survive?

"State of the World 2003," this year's edition of a report published annually by the Worldwatch Institute, arrived in my mailbox several days before the shuttle tragedy, but it sat on my desk unopened until the morning of Columbia's fiery descent.
BUSINESS
Feb 6, 2003

DPJ touts own job-friendly budget

The Democratic Party of Japan on Wednesday unveiled a draft budget for fiscal 2003 that it says would generate 1 million more jobs than the budget being debated in the Diet.
BUSINESS
Feb 5, 2003

JGB rally grinds to a halt as ministry cuts coupon rate

A Japanese government bond rally ground to a halt Tuesday after the Finance Ministry lowered the coupon rate for 10-year bonds to an all-time low of 0.8 percent.
BUSINESS
Jan 31, 2003

Outstanding JGBs forecast to hit 929.9 trillion yen

The outstanding balance of government bonds by March 31, 2017, the end of fiscal 2016, will amount to 929.9 trillion yen if deflation continues and economic growth remains sluggish through the end of fiscal 2006, according to a Finance Ministry estimate released Thursday.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 31, 2003

Lifetime of missed chances

LONDON -- On Jan. 22, two of the world's leading powers celebrated the 40th anniversary of a remarkable reconciliation. At the historic Palace of Versailles, France's President Jacques Chirac and Germany's Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder toasted a treaty signed in 1963 by their visionary predecessors, Charles...
EDITORIALS
Jan 23, 2003

Forge national consensus on taxes

One year ago the government published a five-year budget projection showing how it expected to make ends meet in fiscal 2002-06. Now, the Council on Economic and Fiscal Policy, chaired by Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, has revised the plan -- downward. The basic picture is that the budget deficit...
BUSINESS
Jan 22, 2003

Sanyo to plow 45 billion yen into CCDs

Sanyo Electric Co. said Tuesday it will invest 45 billion yen in the production of charge-coupled devices over three years starting in fiscal 2003.
Japan Times
SOCCER / World cup
Jan 19, 2003

Perseverance, positive outlook carrying Inamoto

Scoring an important goal obviously affects the outcome of a game. But it also sometimes changes the scorer's career -- as in the case with Japan and Fulham midfielder Junichi Inamoto.
COMMUNITY
Jan 19, 2003

A new year in Japanese books

In a time of change and uncertainty, Japanese readers continue to seek comfort and practical advice in their reading. In particular, best sellers last year reflected the concerns of middle-aged and older individuals, with the top 10 sellers including two books on how to age gracefully, two on the Japanese...
CULTURE / Books
Jan 19, 2003

A new year in Japanese books

In a time of change and uncertainty, Japanese readers continue to seek comfort and practical advice in their reading. In particular, best sellers last year reflected the concerns of middle-aged and older individuals, with the top 10 sellers including two books on how to age gracefully, two on the Japanese...
JAPAN
Jan 18, 2003

New Diet session opens up new questions

The Diet opens a 150-day session Monday amid widespread speculation in Nagata-cho that Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi may dissolve the House of Representatives and call a snap election sometime this year -- possibly even during the session.
BUSINESS
Jan 18, 2003

Clamor for consumption tax hike getting louder

Cabinet ministers and business leaders have begun calling for a consumption tax hike to cover rising social security costs stemming from the aging population.
BUSINESS
Jan 17, 2003

Isuzu cuts back sales target 20%

Truck and bus maker Isuzu Motors Ltd. unveiled a new 2003 worldwide sales target Thursday of 186,000 units, down 20 percent from the previous year.

Longform

Figure skater Akiko Suzuki was once told her ideal weight should be 47 kilograms, a number she now admits she “naively believed.” This led to her have a relationship with food that resulted in her suffering from anorexia.
The silent battle Japanese athletes fight with weight